Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is facing a lawsuit after reports surfaced that contract workers overseas reviewed sensitive footage captured by users of the company’s AI-powered smart glasses.
According to a report from TechCrunch, the lawsuit was filed by Gina Bartone of New Jersey and Mateo Canu of California. The legal complaint alleges that Meta violated privacy laws and misled consumers through advertising claims related to its smart glasses.
The case was filed by the Clarkson Law Firm and also names Luxottica of America, Meta’s manufacturing partner for the glasses, as a defendant. The plaintiffs argue that both companies engaged in practices that violate consumer protection laws.
The lawsuit follows an investigation by Swedish newspapers that reported workers at a Kenya-based subcontractor reviewed footage captured by Meta’s smart glasses after it was shared with the company’s AI systems.
According to the reports, the reviewed material included highly sensitive footage such as nudity, individuals engaged in intimate activities, and people in private settings. The investigation raised concerns about how the company handled and reviewed user data submitted through the devices.
Meta had previously said that faces appearing in images are blurred to protect privacy. However, sources cited in the investigation claimed that the privacy protections were not always applied consistently.
The controversy has also triggered international regulatory scrutiny. The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) confirmed it is examining the matter following the initial reports.
At the center of the lawsuit are Meta’s marketing claims promoting the smart glasses as privacy-focused technology. Advertisements for the devices included statements such as “designed for privacy, controlled by you” and “built for your privacy.”
The plaintiffs argue that these claims created the impression that personal footage captured by the glasses would remain private and under the user’s control.
According to the complaint, consumers would not reasonably expect that footage from the glasses — including highly personal moments — might be viewed by contract workers overseas.
Bartone and Canu said they relied on Meta’s marketing when purchasing or using the devices and that they did not see any clear disclosures explaining that footage could be reviewed by outside contractors.
The complaint also cites advertising materials that promoted privacy settings and an “added layer of security,” emphasizing that users could control what content is shared.
One advertisement specifically told customers, “You’re in control of your data and content,” stating that owners of the smart glasses could choose whether or not to share captured media.
Meta responded to the allegations in a statement provided to Breitbart News.
“Ray-Ban Meta glasses help you use AI, hands free, to answer questions about the world around you,” a company spokesperson said. “Unless users choose to share media they’ve captured with Meta or others, that media stays on the user’s device.”
The spokesperson added that when users do share content with Meta’s AI services, the company may use contractors to review some of the data in order to improve system performance.
“When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people’s experience, as many other companies do,” the statement said.
Meta also said it takes steps to filter the data and protect privacy by removing identifying information before it is reviewed.
The lawsuit highlights growing concerns over how artificial intelligence systems handle sensitive personal data, particularly as wearable devices and AI-powered tools become more integrated into daily life.
